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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22758910">Dominion</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ausp_ice/pseuds/Ausp_ice'>Ausp_ice</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Ascendant [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Omnipresence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 11:33:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,408</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22758910</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ausp_ice/pseuds/Ausp_ice</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Connor exerts his influence.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Connor &amp; Upgraded Connor | RK900, Hank Anderson &amp; Connor, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Upgraded Connor | RK900 &amp; Gavin Reed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Ascendant [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1629997</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>84</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Dominion</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>A few ideas spawned in my mind about what it could be like for Connor to be the way he is now - this is very much an exploration of that.</p><p>Disclaimer: I don't know anything about police procedures. Consider it to just be... Not The Focus<br/>I just like the Feelings and things</p><p>Also, I've posted the cover art on dA <a href="https://sta.sh/02e7avzqqfvg">here</a>!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p><p>Nines felt unusually unpleasant. A strange, barely-present lag on his systems had begun approximately fifteen minutes ago. Not apparent enough to impact his efficiency, but enough to be just slightly irksome.</p><p>Nines looked up at his terminal, scanning the other androids in the bullpen. He wondered if… </p><p>Yes. Maybe. A few of the others seemed irritable or discomfited as well. </p><p>Nines frowned. Maybe it had something to do with Connor? He closed his eyes and swept through his system, searching for Connor's fragmented data. </p><p><em> There. </em> He probed at it, and—</p><p>Warnings cropped up against his display. His vision crackled with static for a moment, before he mentally jerked away from the connection. </p><p>He opened his eyes, blinking rapidly. </p><p>"What's up with the lightshow, tin can?"</p><p>Nines turned to face Gavin. He opened his mouth to speak— </p><p>"I h-have. I have a. She was going to hurt s-someone. I'mṃ̸̥͌̔͗m̶̮̲̍ṁ̷̗̟͈̩̎̅͝ bringing her to the station."</p><p>Gavin had immediately tensed upon hearing the staticky voice come out of Nines's vocal module. <em> "Connor?" </em></p><p>Nines's eyes flickered, but Connor said no more. "Yes, that was him. We should prepare for his arrival." He quickly rose out of his chair, mentally sending messages to the other officers before striding towards the exit.</p><p>"Jesus fucking Christ, hold on a sec, will you?" Gavin scrambled out of his seat to join him. </p><p>Nines paused only a moment. "He'll be arriving soon." A ping in his system, then—he was here already. Nines immediately continued on his way.</p><p>Just outside the station, an android stood on unsteady legs, LED flickering between yellow and red. A few officers were cautiously approaching her, watching for any sudden movements. Upon spotting Nines, she (he? they?) seemed to draw into focus, straightening slightly.</p><p>"N-Nines! She w-was going to hurt her friend. She was about to—about t̸̻̮̘̱̉t̸̤̾̿ț̷̱̓o s-stab him, so I. I stopped her, and II̴̬͂́̉I̴̘̯̐͗̑̿I̴̱̩̜̒Ǐ̶̖̹̲̯̓͗—" They twitched violently. "He had it coming! He had it coming. Let g-g-n̶͓͚̤̽̚n̸̞͇̊̀̍ǹ̴̳̪̗̰̒̇o, no, no, I won't—" </p><p>From one moment to the next, Nines was across the clearing, cuffing the android and restraining her movement. "You have the right to remain silent. Connor, that's enough. Let her go."</p><p>She slumped bonelessly—and then renewed her efforts, struggling against Nines's restrictive hold. How troublesome. He pulled the skin back on his hand, placing it on her arm and forcing her into stasis. A function that very few androids had, as far as he knew.</p><p>He disliked using it. It was a reminder of what he was made for. </p><p>Nines passed her to the other officers to deal with, before rejoining Gavin. </p><p>"Okay," the detective started. "The hell just happened?"</p><p>Nines strided purposefully towards the station. "We need to talk to Connor."</p>
<hr/><p>"Got your message." Hank had approached their desk, hovering awkwardly by Nines and Gavin. "So, what's going on?"</p><p>"I thought Connor would be more willing to listen to reason if you were in the discussion." Nines pursed his lips. "We need to convince him not to take over every android that's about to commit a crime."</p><p>"He what now?" </p><p>The RK900 sighed, crossing his arms. "Let us do our jobs, Connor. There's no need for you to cause unnecessary stress to yourself and all the systems you're currently in. If I was getting a few microseconds of lag, I'd hate to imagine what sort of latency you'd inflicted on others."</p><p>"What was I supposed to do, let her friend get stabbed?" An AP700, Clara, spoke up from the neighboring desk. The three of them swerved their heads to her— she looked surprised for a moment, but recovered quickly. Most of the androids at the station were used to Connor borrowing their voices by now. </p><p>"Besides," he continued, but from a PC200, Jake, passing by, "you actually got the worst of it. You know you have the largest piece of my fragments, right?" The android paused and nodded at them, before continuing on his way.</p><p>"Fuck, that's still weird." Hank muttered. "So, what, you gonna hijack everyone that starts thinking of committing a crime? I don't know about you, but that's…" He grimaced.</p><p>"It's creepy as shit." Gavin had no issue voicing his discomfort. "Are you in everyone's heads all the time?"</p><p>The screens of their terminals flickered. Text appeared on Nines's, wavering, uncertain.</p><p><em> I'm not… I don't see </em> <b> <em>all </em> </b> <em> of them. It's usually… diffused.  The emotions, the thoughts. I… I'm not really cohesive all the time, you know? I just. There's so little I can do now. If I can, if I notice, then shouldn't I stop them? </em></p><p>Nines sighed. "You can call for help, Connor. You are... connected to all of us. You could easily contact me or anyone in the DPD, instead of going to the extreme of overriding control immediately." He frowned, unsure if he should press, but— "I would think you would know. The unpleasant nature of forcing actions on an unwilling party."</p><p>Nines felt a shudder run through him—Connor's, not his. "I didn't…" They looked at Hank. "I'm sorry, <em> I'm sorry</em>, I just—"</p><p>They were pulled into a warm embrace. "C'mere, son." Connor raised Nines's hands to grip their father tightly, and they buried themselves in the comforting hold. "It's alright. But you gotta let us do our thing."</p><p>"I was scared," Connor said, muffled. "I felt what she was feeling. I <em> understood. </em> I… I wanted to—N̵̝̟̙̽̐͠n̶̢͖͖͌͝n̴̜͕͌͗̋̕o," Nines interrupted. "That's not you." </p><p>Gavin snorted. "Yeah. Can't imagine you getting mad enough to murder your own friend."</p><p>"The 'me' at CyberLife Tower certainly seemed ready to do that." </p><p>Gavin squinted at them. "The who now?"</p><p>Hank scoffed. "That was a machine. You're you." </p><p>"I'm in <em> pieces</em>, Hank. And not just in a metaphorical way. I'm just—fragments, every bit a part of someone or something else." Nines made a frustrated sound. "You're still—w̶͙̔̿ŵ̷̰̝ẁ̸̱̙hat if I lose myself? What if I just dissolve into everything and stop being <em> me?</em> I feel… so much now. All the time. And it's—it's not <em> mine</em>."  </p><p>Nines wished Connor had a body he could grab by the collar to wring some self-esteem into. He pulled back slightly, biting out, "Connor. You are the strongest person I know. You created <em> yourself </em> in a world that denied your very individuality. You gave me a chance to <em> be </em> when you had every reason to resent my existence. If anyone can maintain a sense of self in the sea of a collective, it's you. And you're here, aren't you? Yourself. Talking to us."</p><p>His brother said nothing, but Nines could feel him lingering in his system.</p><p>A sigh escaped from the lieutenant. "Connor, you still with us?" They nodded, and Hank gave a soft sigh. "Experiencing so much at once…" He started. "It can change you, that's for sure. But I think, at the core, nothing can change the soul of who you are. And as far as I can tell, you've got nothing to worry about when it just comes to being yourself."</p><p>Connor processed, thinking. Finally, he pulled their mouth into a smile. "Getting philosophical on me, Lieutenant?" </p><p>Hank scoffed, pulling away further—but Connor darted in for another embrace. "Thanks, Dad. I'll try to be better at this sort of thing."</p><p>"I—fuck. It's no problem, son." He wrapped an arm around them.</p><p>The barely-noticeable <em> otherness </em> of Connor's presence bled away from Nines's limbs. The RK900 sighed softly, feeling oddly bereft. "It's just me now, Hank." </p><p>The lieutenant seemed loath to let go, though, the contact lingering for an additional 5.56 seconds before he pulled back. (Nines wasn't complaining. He wasn't the type to initiate physical affection, usually, but he certainly understood the appeal.)</p><p>Nines straightened his jacket and collar as he stood back up. "I believe our endeavor was successful. Hopefully, we won't find a similar situation on our hands again."</p><p>"Yeah, hopefully." Gavin sniffed disdainfully. He'd drawn back slightly, seeming to be mildly discomfited. Perhaps he felt out of place in their familial display. "Plastic prick can't keep his nose out of everyone's business." </p><p>"No need to be so crass, Detective Reed."</p><p>Hank gave a groan of annoyance. "Alright, I'm done here. You two have fun. Take care, son." </p><p>Nines blinked, nodding in acknowledgement as Hank moved away. He turned back to his terminal. </p><p>
  <em> You should hug Hank more! I know you both like it ;D </em>
</p><p>Hmph. Were it so easy. Nines closed Connor's dialog, settling back into his case files.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The motivation to write this mostly came from the idea of Connor jumping across different androids/systems in the same conversation, heh.</p><p>Also I am... still not really sure how to handle Gavin</p></blockquote></div></div>
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